Retro design getting mixed reviews from fans, players

Youth players model the new Canadian Olympic team hockey jerseys as they are unveiled in Toronto on Tuesday. - (Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press)The jerseys unveiled Tuesday will be worn exclusively in competition by the men’s, women’s and sledge hockey teams representing Canada. - (Nike Inc.)"The iconic red jersey celebrates the rich history of hockey in Canada. From the vintage-inspired logo on the new lightweight front crest to the Canadian flag on the sleeve and the maple leaf graphics on the shoulders, the new jersey represents Canada from top to bottom."
-Hockey Canada - (Nike Inc.)"Unmistakably Canadian, the white jersey is the perfect complement to the red. With ‘Canada’ standing out proudly in red on the white background of the front logo and the country’s colours flowing through the asymmetrical stripe on the left arm, this jersey is a perfect representation of the pride Canadians feel when it comes to hockey."
-Hockey Canada - (Nike Inc.)"Inspired by memorable vintage Team Canada jerseys, this jersey will inspire our Olympians to win again. The bold ‘Canada’ word mark on the chest reminds the world of Canada’s hockey heritage, while the gold piping on the badges and gold maple leaf on the shoulders remind the world of Canada’s goal to win gold medals in Sochi."
-Hockey Canada - (Nike Inc.)Inside each jersey’s collar, players will find 12 gold maple leaves to represent Hockey Canada’s total number of Olympic and Paralympic gold medals – eight in men’s hockey, three in women’s and one in sledge. - (Nike Inc.)The jersey weighs 448 grams, 15 per cent lighter than the 2010 hockey jersey. - (Nike Inc.)"Lighter graphic executions create a modern uniform and sport feel." - Hockey Canada - (Nike Inc.)"The jersey has a redesigned modern neckline for a refined fit, with a flywire-covered neck area to provide a closer fit that prevents slipping and increases comfort." - Hockey Canada - (Nike Inc.)The jersey and socks are made from 73 per cent recycled polyester. - (Nike Inc.)“When designing the new uniforms, we were very purposeful in our approach of blending Canada’s rich hockey history and tradition with the performance needs of today’s athletes,” said Ken Black, senior creative director for Nike, in a release. - (Nike Inc.)Officials said each jersey is made from up to 17 recycled plastic water bottles, and the sock uses an average of five plastic bottles.
"The plastic bottles are chopped into flakes, then melted down to form yarn that is spun into fabric, reducing energy consumption by up to 30 per cent compared to manufacturing virgin polyester," said Hockey Canada. - (Nike Inc.)Canada will be the only team in Sochi with a third jersey. "I'm not sure how much we'll wear it, but it'll be on the ice sometime during the Olympic games in Sochi," Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson said. "The fans like black, there's no question, and so do the players. But our real colours are red and white." - (Nike Inc.)“These jerseys are distinctly Canadian and will ignite our nation’s pride each time Canada’s athletes take to the ice to represent their country and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams.” - Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada president. - (Nike Inc.)“For many, the red and white are not mere colours and the maple leaf is not just another symbol; rather, it has become a part of our very own identity. It stands as a reminder that despite our perceived differences, we as a nation share a passion and a tradition with the capacity to unite regions, languages and cultures.” - Marcel Abut, Canadian Olympic Committee president. - (Nike Inc.)Youth players model the new Canadian Olympic team hockey jerseys as they are unveiled in Toronto. - (Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press)

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 8/10/2013 (1157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO -- It took until he stepped onto the ice at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton at the 1986 world junior championship for Joe Nieuwendyk to appreciate what it meant to wear a Team Canada jersey.

"I didn't really understand the magnitude of what it meant until that moment: skating out there in front of 19-20,000 people, flags flying everywhere," Nieuwendyk said. "It was a special feeling."

FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Youth players model the new Canadian Olympic team hockey jerseys at Tuesday's official unveiling in Toronto.

Awestruck

'The best resource that we have in our country are our players and our people. This really respects where it all started back in 1920'

-- Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson

On Tuesday morning, he got to pass that feeling on to about a dozen teenage players chosen to model Hockey Canada's 2014 Olympic jerseys at the official unveiling at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Hockey Canada told them they'd be doing some promotional things, but the players didn't learn exactly why they were at the arena until just before the event.

"Their mouths dropped, a little awestruck," Nieuwendyk said. "They didn't realize what they were here for. When they saw the jersey for the first time, it hit them like it hits any NHL guy that's going to don that jersey."

For many hockey fans it wasn't the first glimpse of the red, white and alternate black jerseys that the men's, women's and sledge hockey teams will wear at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi. Pictures of the uniforms have leaked out over the last month.

But that didn't damper the enthusiasm for the teenagers who stepped onto the ice amid club music and laser lights and skated around to show off the uniforms.

"First to ever try on the Team Canada Olympic Jersey and unveil it to everyone. Speechless," Paul Coffey's son, Blake, wrote on Twitter afterward. "Honoured to get the opportunity to unveil the 2014 Team Canada Olympic Jersey Launch."

Hockey Canada's reveal was another opportunity for fans to give their opinions about the jerseys. Some said it looked like Petro-Canada's logo, while others wanted to go back to the jerseys used when Canada won gold in Vancouver in 2010.

"People talking about how they feel about a jersey that's close to their heart and represents their country is a great thing," Nike creative director Ken Black said.

The red and white jerseys feature a Maple Leaf logo with a stripe across the chest, while the black jersey has "CANADA" written across it in white letters on a gold stripe. All three include 12 gold maple leaves inside the collar to commemorate the eight men's, three women's and one sledge hockey gold medal the country has won at the Olympics.

Black said the jerseys were inspired by the 1920 team that won gold at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, with touches from the 1972 national team uniform.

"The best resource that we have in our country are our players and our people," Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson said. "This really respects where it all started back in 1920."

Back then there were fewer avenues for fans to express their feelings about jerseys. This time around criticism began in early September when a photo of Jonathan Toews wearing Canada's red jersey surfaced online.

Montreal's Caroline Ouellette, a forward on the women's team and a three-time Olympian, offered a very positive review.

"I think they're lighter and they seem very comfortable," she said. "I think every time change happens, there's some people that resist it. I know we've heard some negative comments on it so far, but for me the jersey becomes the memories we make with that jersey."

History

Updated on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 9:26 AM CDT: Replaces photo

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